Automotive vehicles require a power train to transmit the force of an engine to the wheels of the vehicle. The power train's main component is typically referred to as the transmission. The transmission converts engine speed and torque in accordance with the tractive-power demand of the vehicle. Transmissions are generally, either manually or automatically actuated. Manual transmissions generally include mechanical mechanisms for coupling rotating gears to produce different ratio outputs to drive the wheels. Automatic transmissions are designed to take automatic control of the frictional units, gear ratio selection and gear shifting.
Vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions are generally easier to operate with a gear selection process generally adapted to favor fuel economy and smooth shifts. However, some drivers may favor the more aggressive performance and feel of a manual transmission in exchange for lower fuel economy and lower ease of use.
One approach has been to provide for manual shifting of the automatic transmission through a gear shift lever. However, previous attempts to provide manual modes of operation have provided a single mode of manual operation. One inherent problem in providing a single mode of manual operation is that the mode must balance performance and fuel economy, i.e., increased performance typically has a negative effect on fuel economy. Different drivers desire different trade-offs, e.g., more performance with less fuel economy or more fuel economy with less performance.
The present invention is aimed at overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.